Topkapı Palace
The sultans’ palace on Sarayburnu: courtyards, the Imperial Council, the treasury and the terraces over the water. Dated entry, sold online on its own site.
Çavuşin Church
A rock-cut Byzantine church of 964–965 near Göreme, with a two-floor plan, monks' rooms below and frescoes of Emperor Nikephoros Phokas and his family.
On September 30, 2026 the Ministry’s listing showed this museum as closed to visitors. Check the official page before planning a visit.
About the museum
The Çavuşin Church stands beside the Göreme–Avanos road, about 2.5 km from Göreme, in the rock landscape of Cappadocia. It was cut into a massive rock face in two floors. The lower level holds rooms used by monks, while the natural stairway to the upper church has long since gone; today an iron staircase, added later, gives access.
The church has a very tall single nave, and its narthex has largely collapsed. Archangels are painted in the narthex. It is dated to 964–965, linked to a visit by the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Phokas to Cappadocia, and it holds portraits of the emperor, his wife Theophano and other family members. Its themes come from the Gospels and the life of Christ, as in other rock churches, and some of the wall paintings are exceptionally well preserved.
For visitors it is one of the most historically specific churches in the Göreme area, because the paintings can be tied to a named ruler and a named year.
Tips
- The church was closed for restoration at the time of writing; check the official page for the current situation before you go.
- Göreme Open-Air Museum and other rock churches are close by for alternative visits.
Questions
When is Çavuşin Church open?
According to the Ministry’s listing it opens at 00:00 and closes at 00:00.
Can I buy tickets for Çavuşin Church on this site?
No. This site sells no tickets. Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia and Dolmabahçe Palace are sold on our sister sites; for Çavuşin Church, buy at the ticket office or on the Ministry’s official e-ticket system.
Where is Çavuşin Church?
Çavuşin Church is in Nevşehir, Türkiye — Çavuşin Köyü.
Nearby
Nevşehir
Göreme Archaeological Site (Göreme Open Air Museum)
Cappadocia's best-known rock-cut monastic complex, with frescoed churches, chapels and refectories from the fourth to thirteenth centuries.
Nevşehir
Zelve-Paşabağlar Archaeological Site
Three valleys of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, once a Christian monastic settlement, with rock-cut churches, Saint Simeon's chapel and dovecotes.
Nevşehir
El Nazar Church
A tenth-century rock-cut church in the El Nazar valley near Göreme, painted in an archaic style with scenes from the life of Christ.
Nevşehir
Dark Church (Göreme)
The most prized church of the Göreme Open Air Museum, a cross-plan rock church whose frescoes stayed vivid because so little light reaches them.
Istanbul tickets online
Four Istanbul landmarks, each sold on its own site by the agency behind this guide — dated entry and free cancellation up to 24 hours.
Basilica Cistern
Justinian’s great underground reservoir: 336 columns in still water and the two Medusa heads. Fast-track entry with a digital audio guide.
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.
Dolmabahçe Palace
A nineteenth-century palace on the water’s edge: the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall under its chandelier, the crystal staircase and the Harem.